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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: 1839cc on Sat, 28 November 2009, 01:01:45

Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Sat, 28 November 2009, 01:01:45: I like it a lot. Not used to the lightness of the browns yet, but they're nicer than I imagined. Makes me want to find some clears even more.

Does anybody know of a windows driver for the trackball? I searched and only found other people asking the same question. No answers anywhere. Everything works great in Kubuntu 8.10, but no trackball in XP.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Sat, 28 November 2009, 01:11:25: the trackball should work just fine as a ps/2 pointing device... did for me anyway, in Win7.

It's the same as a standard optical mouse iirc, have you tried uninstalling the driver?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: Oqsy on Sat, 28 November 2009, 01:21:36: I just got mine all but working again (just a few keys won't register from the numpad, which actually stinks because I hate the top row nums). It is a very nice keyboard, and I feel the same way about wanting some clears :D My trackball also doesn't work (WinXP) but I haven't really tried too hard to get it to detect either since I really prefer a mouse anyway. If you do get your trackball working post here what you did and I might give it a shot just to see if this one actually functions. Congrats on the new board!
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Sat, 28 November 2009, 01:33:32: I haven't put much effort into it yet. It was delivered today so all I've done is clean it and plug it in to see if it works. I will play with it more tomorrow.

And I'll definitely post results either way.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 28 November 2009, 03:59:47: Mine worked straight away on my XP and Vista machines. I did use a PS/2-USB adapter. I can't see them failing when plugged in directly though - remember these are designed to be plugged into servers, which do not have fancy mouse drivers loaded.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sat, 28 November 2009, 07:31:37: I want to get one of those that's built in to the tray.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: didjamatic on Sat, 28 November 2009, 08:15:38: Native drivers work with that board on Windows XP/2K/2003, Linux and even KVM's. We have them in our keyboard trays in each rack of a Data Center. You don't need anything extra.

Did you reboot? Though it works in many cases, PS2 is not a hot-plug interface like USB.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Sat, 28 November 2009, 11:57:27: I can confirm what others have said, you don't need any additional driver for Windows XP/Vista and Linux. I have not tried it on my MacBook though (via an adapter).
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sat, 28 November 2009, 15:50:23: Maybe the trackball just doesn't work.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Sat, 28 November 2009, 16:58:41: Quote from: microsoft windows;136997
Maybe the trackball just doesn't work.

see:

Quote from: 1839cc;136849
Everything works great in Kubuntu 8.10
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 29 November 2009, 09:38:31: Ok, I was tired last night.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: J888www on Sun, 29 November 2009, 09:50:44: Quote from: 1839cc;136849
I like it a lot. Not used to the lightness of the browns yet, but they're nicer than I imagined. Makes me want to find some clears even more.

Lucky you. Where did you find this board ? I've been trying to find one all over the web for the last Month without success. Especially annoying when one seller only Ship US.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 29 November 2009, 10:07:39: I haven't really seen any cheap ones lately either.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: watduzhkstand4 on Sun, 29 November 2009, 11:31:48: my trackball actually worked fine in XP just by plugging in the PS/2
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 29 November 2009, 11:47:40: I wonder if there's any problems with the trackballs with Windows 2000. I know that has been used on many servers.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: didjamatic on Sun, 29 November 2009, 13:02:43: Quote from: microsoft windows;137152
I wonder if there's any problems with the trackballs with Windows 2000. I know that has been used on many servers.

It's fully supported in Win2k, plug and play with native drivers. I still have some servers running Win2k and have no issues with this device. This device was made specifically for a server environment and to be supported on all OS's.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 29 November 2009, 13:04:52: I've found Windows 2000 to be a pretty good operating system. It's very reliable and fast compared with XP and newer.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Sun, 29 November 2009, 19:17:56: Quote from: didjamatic;136911
Did you reboot? Though it works in many cases, PS2 is not a hot-plug interface like USB.
Yes. And power was off when I plugged it in the first time.
Quote from: J888www;137124
Lucky you. Where did you find this board ? I've been trying to find one all over the web for the last Month without success. Especially annoying when one seller only Ship US.
Ebay. Listed as Compaq rack mount keyboard with trackball, or something like that. Try searching some of those keywords. It was about $40 obo so I offered $25 and he accepted. :)
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Mon, 30 November 2009, 17:26:57: Sorry, but the world economy not just about keyboards.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Mon, 30 November 2009, 23:00:59: I tried uninstall/reinstall and update driver but still no trackball function. After the reinstall I got a "code 10 device could not start" error. Upon system restart it went back to saying everything works, but that was a lie. :(

Also I've been off Windows for long enough that I forgot how to make it do what I want.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: didjamatic on Mon, 30 November 2009, 23:31:57: Quote from: ripster;137324
Wow, these have gone up in price (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=compaq+keyboard+trackball&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=compaq+keyboard&_osacat=0) like the Model Ms.

This one was weird - probably rubber dome:
Show Image
(http://i5.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/33/d7/9110_35.JPG)

Maybe this is a leading indicator the recession will be over soon? Naaaaahhhh......

Yes, that is a rubber dome board. We have one of them on one cabinet, identical board.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: didjamatic on Mon, 30 November 2009, 23:37:48: Quote from: 1839cc;137667
I tried uninstall/reinstall and update driver but still no trackball function. After the reinstall I got a "code 10 device could not start" error. Upon system restart it went back to saying everything works, but that was a lie. :(

Also I've been off Windows for long enough that I forgot how to make it do what I want.

Maybe try a USB adapter? Could you have an issue with that PS2 port?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Mon, 30 November 2009, 23:41:08: I tried a random PS/2 mouse and it worked.

I've been meaning to get an adapter for a while now.... Any recommendations?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: Oqsy on Tue, 01 December 2009, 00:00:28: FYI my trackball is still not working after quite a bit of playing around with it, but the keyboard is about 94% functional (see my dead keys mx11800 thread). I even dismantled mine and checked connections, etc. My guess is the lifespan of the built in logitech trackball is just not on par with the cherry mx keyboard, so they're dying off long before the keys do. :D
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: meltie on Tue, 01 December 2009, 11:47:58: Congratulations, still looking for one, too. They had them quite regularly on ebay Germany a while ago but I was always too late. Now they are much rarer, and I cannot check ebay all the time.

It is not easy to find a keyboard with Cherry browns in Germany.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Tue, 01 December 2009, 13:11:03: Not easy to find clears here. I'd trade if not for shipping.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: lowpoly on Tue, 01 December 2009, 13:26:12: A separate trackball driver is good if you have a mouse too and want to adjust the trackball settings without affecting the mouse.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: meltie on Wed, 02 December 2009, 05:19:20: Funny thing: Just as I was writing my last post, I found one on ebay for 5 EUR plus 4 EUR shipping. Seems I finally get my hands on a Cherry brown!
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: didjamatic on Wed, 02 December 2009, 06:12:58: Quote from: 1839cc;137677
I've been meaning to get an adapter for a while now.... Any recommendations?

This one works well for me on Model M's that use a lot of power and I think is identical to the one clickeykeyboards sold.
http://www.amazon.com/PS2-Keyboard-To-USB-Adapter/dp/B000BSJFJS
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Wed, 02 December 2009, 10:01:45: Thanks for the recommendations. And congratulations to meltie on a good deal.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: meltie on Wed, 02 December 2009, 17:03:01: Thank you! Finally completing my collection (serveral blue, black, white, and clear switches and, finally, browns!).

As far as the adapters go: I've tried several, but even those that work perfectly with my Model Ms don't fully work with my PS/2 Cherry boards. There is always at least one key that is giving false signals. On one board it was the print key. I only learned about that after looking through the log files. On another board it was the A key. And os on. But I will look into the wiki for alternatives and try some more. So far, I generally use PS/2 for my keyboards, except for my Das III.

As soon as I got my MX11800, I will report about it.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Wed, 02 December 2009, 17:44:30: Let me know if your trackball works in Windows (if you use it).
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Wed, 02 December 2009, 18:58:18: From my experience, most desktop computers (even new ones!) have PS/2 ports. It's just best to stick with PS/2 unless it doesn't work at all.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Wed, 02 December 2009, 22:05:14: I agree with that. Good thing we still can (for now).
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 03 December 2009, 03:29:57: Quote from: microsoft windows;138170
From my experience, most desktop computers (even new ones!) have PS/2 ports. It's just best to stick with PS/2 unless it doesn't work at all.

Alot of new ones don't, particularly Dell ones.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: timw4mail on Thu, 03 December 2009, 07:31:47: Quote from: ch_123;138277
Alot of new ones don't, particularly Dell ones.

Which is yet another reason not to get a Dell...but that's just me...
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: meltie on Fri, 04 December 2009, 09:56:51: Finally I've had the time to try out my MX11800. All keys are working, the trackball, too. At the moment it even works on an USB adapter. The feel of the keys is pretty good, but I still prefer blue ones. The board makes a metallic sound while typing, my other boards don't. Is there anything you guys would like to know?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: 1839cc on Fri, 04 December 2009, 10:51:49: What OS you running?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: meltie on Fri, 04 December 2009, 13:26:05: Windows Vista and Ubuntu Linux. Works out of box for both.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Fri, 04 December 2009, 15:53:56: I'm running Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 7, MS-DOS, and Ubuntu Linux on my computers (I have 3 computers running 2000).
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: itlnstln on Fri, 04 December 2009, 15:59:58: What? No Norton Commander?
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: microsoft windows on Fri, 04 December 2009, 16:01:19: I used to have a computer running Windows 95 too. But I gave it away. :(
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: ricercar on Sat, 05 December 2009, 02:40:22: I still have a DEC Celebris 590 for those Win95 emergencies. Funny, I never remember to count it when people ask me how many computers I have.
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 05 December 2009, 11:57:10: I have decided that over the holidays I intend on setting up a thin client HP machine with -

Windows 1.01 - 3.11
Windows NT4, 2000 (and maybe the earlier ones)
Some of the Windows beta versions
OS/2 Warp
BeOS
Solaris
FreeBSD (possibly Net and Open as well)
Mac OS X

If anyone can think of any other x86 operating systems that aren't Linux-based or later versions of Windows, do let me know!
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 05 December 2009, 16:43:09: Quote from: ch_123;139114
If anyone can think of any other x86 operating systems that aren't Linux-based or later versions of Windows, do let me know!

Coherent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coherent_%28operating_system%29)? I actually bought it but it wouldn't install on my PC at the time. :-(
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 05 December 2009, 16:51:37: Interesting, I never heard of that one... I'd love to somehow acquire MS Xenix but it has eluded me so far. I'd actually seriously consider buying a copy if I saw it on eBay given how extremely odd the idea of Microsoft UNIX is...
Title: Finally got a Compaq MX 11800
Post by: ricercar on Sat, 05 December 2009, 17:15:41: Coherent (lasers, not Mark Williamson's company) has offices less than a mile from my house. Whenever I drive by, I remember coveting that Coherent OS circa 1990, but not having the mere $100 they were asking.